(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to automated manufacturing systems and, more particularly, to an apparatus for automatically making a cuff for a sleeve or pant leg for a sweat suit or the like.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
The manufacture of textile clothing articles such as sweat suits and outer garments has resisted automation. This is due largely because of the difficulty in accurately handling so called "soft" materials. For example, the fleece material commonly used in sweat suits may wrinkle, stick to one another and stretch significantly when handled.
Even where automation has begun to make in-roads, other difficulties remain. For example, cuffs for sleeves and pant legs for sweat suits or the like must be manually formed and then placed and sewn to set the cuff. This has always been a manual operation because of the dexterity required to form and position the cuff properly prior to sewing. Unfortunately, repetitive actions such as forming and setting a cuff to a garment may cause health problems. However, it has been extremely difficult to design a device which can reliably form, position the cuff and sew it time after time.
Thus, there remains a need for an apparatus for automatically making a cuff for a sleeve or pant leg for a sweat suit or the like which will operate reliably time after time while, at the same time, can be carried out completely automatically without the need for a skilled operator.